Top 5 Developers who Milk Game franchises to dryness

With the advent of any great Game franchise comes the concept of Money making by extensively milking the franchise to dryness as Developers and Publishers find different ways to exploit the winning formula.

These are Quite possibly the Top 5 Franchises that have been milked to dryness by Publishers.

[ilovepsvita]

Activision deserves to be placed at number 1 position on the countdown.
COD is definitely the most Milked franchise in gaming history with a sequel coming out every year.

[Misterhbk]

Why the hell is Nintendo not on the list. Should have been right up there with Activision.

People can say what they want, but Mario is spun off into so many series one might lose track of him.

Mario Golf
Mario Kart
Mario Party
Mario World/Galaxy/Land/Whatever
Paper Mario
Mario and Luigi World/Land/Whatever
Mario Baseball
Mario Sports (just threw all the different sports into one)

I'm sure I'm excluding quite a few but you get the point. I"m not saying the games aren't different or good or fun or any of that, but lets be honest, Mario is a milkfest. they could easily create new characters and IPs for so many of these games, but nope...Just Throw Mario and Co. out there.

[geniusgamerdoc]

I disagree with you my friend.

MARIO might have spun off into hundreds of games but all of them dont fall under a single gaming Genre.
We have seen all kinds of games ranging from Tennis, Golf, Cart racing, Adventure, Rpg, to Baseball and Smash brawlers.
Just because of the inclusion of Mario it doesnt become a Milked franchise.

With every new Mario named title Nintendo has brought something new. Super Mario Galaxy is one of the most Eye Candy-ish games ive ever played.

But whereas COD games look almost the same when you compare each other.

[Brownghost]

they milk the character but the games are all amazing

[Pozzle]

I think a lot of people are willing to look past the shitty titles because Nintendo still manage to make some pretty good Mario titles. I could do without the crappy spinoff sport titles, but I personally hope they don't stop making games like Mario Galaxy or Mario Kart.

[SilentNegotiator]

I agree.

Mario Kart peaked at Double Dash, Mario Party didn't really make the best use of the wiimote, and the sports titles haven't made huge improvements.

[badz149]

it's not about the games are great or not, it's just a list for milking and Nintendo MUST BE in the list somewhere! instant FAIL!

[ZBlacktt]

All those games are the franchises characters. Not the same game play type. Where COD is the same thing over and over and over.

[milohighclub]

Tomb raider hasn't been milked. 9 releases over 3 gens?!

[rjdofu]

This should belong to the top 5 milking topics of all times.

[Wyvern]

There are more then 220 Games with Mario in it. :D
Need to mention Street Fighter too.

[-Alpha]

Throwing Mario and Co. out onto these games is a lot better for Nintendo and Nintendo fans than throwing on a new face nobody knows about.

Mario is a universal character. His popularity is unrivaled and the genres he is in help keep that unique, colourful style fans love about Nintendo games. What is the point of replacing Mario with a new character? Highly counter-productive.

And there is a strong difference between milking the game and milking the name. A ton of the Mario titles are high quality games and adored by legions of fans.

In fact, same goes for a lot of other Milked games. Milked isn't always bad, it's when you do very little to improve and when you ride on the name value alone that it becomes bad.

[Getowned]

NFS: Underground 2 was and still is my favourit raceing game i really wish they would make a new one just like #2 expect bigger with more cars and customizations.I would buy a HD remake of that game imo best racing game ever made **IMO**.

lol i knew cod was going to be on here.

and don't be hating mario! mario owns.

[Gurt_McSquirt]

Half of these are publishers, half are developers... It should read "Top 5 Game Series' That Are Milked To Dryness"

[TXIDarkAvenger]

There's not 1 Mario franchise, there's many in different genres. So no the games aren't milked but I guess you could say Mario is. But at least a majority of Mario games are quality games that are awesome and have lots of replay value.

[capcock]

super mario and mario golf/kart/party etc are all different franchises STARRING mario, they are not milked.

[Tr10wn]

Done

[CrimsonAng3l]

I agree with you Misterhbk about everything you said. Sonic is another franchise that's been milked for so fricken long that it should be on the list.

[JaredH]

I think Nintendo characters are milked more than anything else, even Call of Duty. Nintendo hasn't even made an original ip since Pikmin(not counting the mini-games). All they do is take the characters they thought of years ago and put them in new situations. I do think it's great that they somehow make the games fresh but honestly they can't do that forever.

[BattleAxe]

1. Call of Duty
2. Mario
3. Halo
4. Madden
5. Tiger Woods

[ATi_Elite]

Here's two good ones........

well EA has been pumping out John Madden Football games since 1988 and yearly since 1990.

But seriously I thought Street Fighter 2 got milked down to the butter milk before Capcom released Street Fighter 3.

[Biggest]

Sports titles shouldn't be thought of in the same sense as Call of Duty or Mario. There is a new season every year for sports, and though games like Madden try to change as little as possible, they aren't exactly the same. Mario and Madden might add as little in each new release (a few add-ons or changes to the general gameplay), but Mario does it for the sake of doing it. Madden does it because there is a new season. I guess I'm saying they have a more legit reason for a new game. That being said. . . I haven't purchased a Madden game since 2003. The 2K series was much more rewarding to me. Madden buying rights to the NFL license turned me off immediately. Furthermore, I still love Mario. I play every classic-type Mario game and will be playing Paper Mario. Yes, Mario is milked. Sometimes I love milk.

[Tachyon_Nova]

You know that since Rathcet and Clank began in 2002 there was a game in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2 games in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. That is 10 games in 10 years.

Since Battlefield began in 2002 there was a game in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2 games in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2 games in 2011. That is 10 games in 10 years.

Since FIFA branded games began in 1993 there has been a game in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2 games in 2000, 2 games 2001, 2 games in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2 games in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. That is 23 games in 19 years, and this not counting FIFA Manager or FIFA Street games, which would take that total to 34 games in 19 years.

Since Call of Duty began in 2003, there was a game in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. That is 8 games in 9 years.

Need for Speed began in 1994, and there has been a game in 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2 games in 2009, 2 games in 2010 and 2 games in 2011. That is 18 games in 18 years.

Don't even get me started on Mario or Final Fantasy, I would be here all year listing mario games alone.

So is CoD really the most milked gaming franchise ever? Not by a long shot.

[StoneyYoshi]

rachet and clank has brought something new to the table each year they had released a game. same goes to battlefield.

call of duty stopped bringing new things to the table once cod 4 came out.

and it definitely has been more than 8 games in 9 years for call of duty

Call of duty: finest hour

Call of duty 2: Big red one

Call of duty: roads to victory

Call of duty: World at war: final fronts (ps2)

Call of duty: modern warfare: mobilized (nintendo DS)

Call of duty : world at war: zombies 1 and 2 (iPhone)

so that actually makes it 14 games in 9 years. not milked?

[Hicken]

Sports games don't count. As the roster of each team changes each year, new games were necessary- before this generation, it wasn't possible to update your rosters via online connection.

As for everything else you mentioned, only one of those games- as far as I know- has DLC you're required to pay for, multiple packs per year, and that people buy up by the millions. Only one of those game(s)eries) will still be full price a month before the next entry's release.

I'll let you guess which series that is.

[Tachyon_Nova]

@ Hicken - I tend to agree that sports games don't count myself. However, it has become a popular stance to take that each 'new' CoD should be released as DLC, since all it adds is new weapons, maps and a 5 hour campaign. If all that can only be considered worthy of a DLC release, then how can a new player roster and a few gameplay tweaks warrant a completely new game?

I honestly don't see how CoD's DLC is milking though. Each CoD game provides a heap of maps and game modes, easily more than most other FPS's straight out of the box. If you still want more, then you have the option to buy more.

If they were starving players for content by only having 4-7 maps (as with Medal of Honor and BFBC2) as opposed to 12-15 maps as with CoD, then I would say you had a point.

@dontbhatin - I am only counting main games, not platform specific variants like CoD 4 mobilised or World at War: Zombies for iPhone. I didn't count Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, Bad Company 2 for iPhone or any of the Battlefield expansion packs, so I don't see that it is fair for you to for CoD.

[StoneyYoshi]

id rather have 4-7 well created maps, instead of 12-15 maps that they didn't put much work into. still no reason to charge 15 dollars for 4-5 maps when you see the competition tossing everyone new maps like free candy. the only maps that either bad company game charged for is vietnam for bad company 2.

@tachyon

then rachet and clank should only be 7 games then because 3 of those are variants for the main games.

and for battlefield it should only be 8 games then. if you only want to count main games.

[J_Cob]

I'm going to have to agree with Hicken and Tachyon_Nova regarding the sports games. I just don't get the why people always jump on the CoD hatewagon. If you break down Battlefield to its fundamentals its big maps and vehicles. They just recently added destruction with the BC series and now it looks prettier. To say a game isn't milked because it has a new paint job is just ignorant. By that logic all IW has to do is get a new engine and add destruction and it's a whole new game. It's still the same thing at its core. People would still complain because of the DLC.

[Hicken]

Doing that WOULD make it a new game. If all they added was moderately destructible environments, it'd cause the way people played to change drastically: no more camping, no more setting up turrets in choke points. For vehicles, they'd need bigger maps, which would again force people to change how they played the game.

As for the DLC, I honestly think Activision is at a point financially where they could give away the DLC for an entire entry. They've made more than enough money off the franchise to do at least that as a thank-you to fans.

But they never will. As long as people are willing to buy it, they'll be willing to charge for it.

[J_Cob]

@Hicken I'll agree that destruction would change the game but fundamentally it would be the same. Just based off the design of CoD's play style. Choke points could vanish to a certain degree, but with the map design people would know where people are going after awhile and what they are going to blow up. With CoD's fast arcade movement people with slow reflexes are going to camp regardless. It's the nature of the beast. CoD picks up tons of new people with each iteration every year. Most never having played an FPS before. These people camp even when the grenade symbol is shown on their screen. They will not move for anyone or anything. You also mentioned they would need bigger maps. Then it wouldn't be CoD anymore. That's trying to turn CoD into BF with destruction. You need to think along the lines of CoD with destruction.

[morkendo23]

@ Tach nova

out of those 18 NFS only first 7 was EXCELLENT i have ALL 7. "the RUN" will be # 18 until nov. other 10 was horrible (in my opinion)

[WANNAGETHIGH]

@Tachyon_Nova..Save ur comment.N4G is anti COD with bias BF fan boys. Ur list is spot on. But I disagree with spot gamrs,Its normal when a season finishes nd a new one starts a new sport game has to come out. But the rest is spot on.

[aman84r]

You know what the funny thing is people count expansion packs as games only in case of COD.

[Biggest]

Call of Duty would be a brand new game if it added new elements. Call of Duty 4 was new. Before it there were similar games with minor updates. After it there have been similar games with minor updates. If Call of Duty added new elements to gameplay (destruction, vehicles, maps) it would become a new game and change their trend of milking. I hate Call of Duty because it is $60 for nothing new. In comparison you can purchase other games for $60 that re-work/change multiple aspects of the game. Uncharted 2 is a good example of that. They added multiplayer, increased graphic fidelity, and changed the basic presentation into an industry standard. . . For $60.

[jdfoster]

You missed out Fifa World cup which released in 2010 to coincide with world cup

[Getowned]

no i think it's actually about 22 call of duty games if you count all systems.

[CrimsonEngage]

Hate to burst your bubble but there have been only 3 Battlefield games - 1942, 2 and BF3. The rest are spin-offs. Hurrrrrrrrr

[hadriker]

@Tachyon_Nova

You have to take into account the game quality as well

Since Modern Warfare 1, Activision has released a CoD game yearly with little changes in game play. Mostly just glorified expansion packs. They did the same thing with Tony Hawk, and guitar hero. They milked the IPs for all they were worth, and when the consumer market finally said "we need something new in our favorite IP" They failed hard and the franchise went the the way of the Dodo.

IPs like Battlefield may have a comparable number of releases as the CoD franchise, but every release has been a logical step forward in terms of gameplay, technlogy and innovation. They aren't just releasing the same game with some new skins and maps, which is basically what Activision is doing with the CoD series, and has done with others.

Thats the difference they are trying to point out.

[Tachyon_Nova]

Alright this is my last comment so I'm going to reply to everyone who has mentioned my post here.

@dontbhatin - No, there have been 10 seperate Rathcet and Clank games. The original, Going Commando, Up You Arsenal, Deadlocked, Size Matters, Tools of Destruction, Quest for Booty, A Crack in Time, All 4 One and Secret Agent Clank. That is 10 games. As for Battlefield, I feel that there is enough content in Heroes and Play4Free that they can be considered seperate 'main' games. although they are obviously spinoffs.

@Hicken - I'm sure they could give the DLC away if they wanted to, but they are a business that exists solely to make money, why would they give a product which costs them a lot to produce for free? If they did it for one game, people would expect it for the next and would be significantly less likely to pay for it. As for camping, I don't see how bigger maps would help reduce this. Have you ever played Bad Company? The bigger maps just give people an incentive to snipe because they don't have to run so far in order to get into a position where they can kill people.

@J_Cob - Exactly, people will camp no matter what sort of measures you put in place to stop them, its how they want to play.

@Morkendo23 - I haven't played thta many of the NFS games, but I can say that the original Hot Pursuit and Hot Pursuit 2 back in the 90's were easily my favourite games from the series.

@WANNAGETHIGH - Like I said above in my second comment, I tend to agree that sports games shouldn't be counted, but I included it only because a lot of people like to say that each new COD should be released as DLC only, when clearly there is more fresh content in each new COD than in each new FIFA.

@aman- It's not surprising, people seem to apply different rules to COD games (i.e. in general graphics don't matter apparently, but in COD's case using the samer engine each game is grounds not to by the game)

@Getowned, why would I count each game for each system seperately, it is still the same game?

@CrimsonEngage - You're joking right?

@hadriker - Fair point, although EA are more guilty of this than anyone in at least one case (Battlefield Play4Free is literaly BF2 except with mild destruction and some new assets).

[WitWolfy]

I agree Activision at the top, they literary milked GH to DEATH!

[Altosax31]

Didn't they milk Tony Hawk as well?

[Ser]

Yup. Literally.

Guitar Hero literally DIED because of the excess milking. The same goes for Tony Hawk. What was the last Tony Hawk game? Ride? With that stupid skateboard peripheral? What a joke.

[hadriker]

Activation is easily the worst

CoD
Tony Hawk
Guitar Hero

[Legion]

The issue is milking it to dryness though. I truly don't think the campaign has been milked to dryness yet, as it is still interesting each time I play the game.

The multiplayer though... I haven't seen enough quality change in it to see it as anything but dry. BUT saying that... people must really like evaporated milk, because they are playing the hell out of that game.

[narutogameking]

Yeah and Mario games are a rarity these days......

[Dee_91]

what how isnt EA number one

they literally release the same gameS every year for the past decade and a half

[iWishTifaWasReal]

@ilovepsvita

not to mention

fcking DLC (Map packs)

cost $15. if you multiply it by four (4 map packs a game)

15 x 4 = $60 + plus COD (the actual game) 60

= $120

[Godmars290]

With a possible 5-6 games set in the FFXIII world, Sqaure needs to be at #1.

[Jihaad_cpt]

the stories are all different though and look at how often the games come out, not every year

[Godmars290]

And its another thing that they presented these games early and have taken forever to get them out besides. Will be changing much of the theme and gameplay while still on the same world.

The really bad thing that's going on is that they offered a weak story with a poor resolution with FFXIII, and now they're stretching it out. How is that not an example of poor story telling?

[Marceles]

A poor resolution? I hope you mean story-wise. Personally I didn't find it any different than FF5, weak story but fun as hell to fight. Especially in the post-story missions.

[kaveti6616]

It's ironic because you're milking this topic to death.

[Brownghost]

didnt they say they will have yearly releases of halo

[Legion]

Actually original plan was to have Halo and Gears of War release in off years. Might not have came about exactly as planned but that was the idea at the beginning.

[Brownghost]

well i hope not and my comment was not bashing halo i was asking a question

[Legion]

I din't say you were bashing Halo. But you made a statement not a question. You can fix that problem by adding some punctuation when posting.

I was simply giving you the facts that I have read based on your statement in counter to those facts.

No issues...

[Brownghost]

oh no i wasn't talking to you just the general reading this also i cant edit my post and wish they would let you edit your comments

[IHateYouFanboys]

wheres ratchet and clank? whatve they had, 10-11 games in 9 years?

Also, it should be PUBLISHERS that milk franchises, not developers. every other NFS game is developed by someone different, same with half the other games on the list.

[BiggCMan]

10 years, 6 main games excluding spin offs. 7 if you count the new co-op one coming out. They are also all substantially different in many ways.

[MaxOpower]

Totally agree, none of these are developers!

[narutogameking]

Every other Call of Duty is also developed by a different studio. Treyarch and Infinity Ward take turns.

[synchroscheme]

There's a reason why franchises get milked though. People are still willing to buy them. But it makes me wonder if people truly do want a new product or if they've just been conditioned to expect a new one every so often.

[Seventh_Blood_Reborn]

Conditioned. The human being fear what is unknown.

[takohma]

Wow. That's a really good theory. Well some games have become the standard of their genre. More casual gamers don't really look for something better or different when they find a game for a specific genre. Some think CoD is the only fps out there. And let's face it casual gamers are the majority. They are not on websites/magazines looking for the new/next best thing.

@synchroscheme thnx for your input that really got me thinking

[Ashby_JC]

It happens all the time.

It is hard to get ppl to try something different then what they are comfortable with.

Have you ever tried to get a COD fan to play a BF game or any other FPS??

Have you ever tried to get a Madden fan to play a 2K football game?/

Ever try and get a NBA live fan to try a 2K game??

People usually will stick to what they know. The above examples I have tried myself and failed on all at one time or another.

Not a head shrink or anything but its some kind of human thing lol

[eclectified]

Number 1 should have been Capcom for Mega Man AND Street Fighter.

[RockmanII7]

When was the last megaman game released? I'm not talking handheld or downloadable, when was the last full out megaman game released.

[eclectified]

1. Why wouldn't you count handheld and download only titles? Not being on disc or not having current gen graphics doesn't make it any less milking.
2. I see where or you're trying to go with this, but it doesn't matter how recent. Mega Man is an all time milking list-topper.

[Biggest]

They even released a Tiger handheld version of Mega Man every 6 months! Mega Man has been done to death, rebirth, death, and zombie-mode.

[josephayal]

No way MEH! street fighter is the best fighta game eva

[showtimefolks]

NFS has had some bad games but it has also had some great games the latest one done by burnout devs was a great game

Tome raider reboot looks/plays great for what we have seen, has the last few games been great NO but they have not been bad either. And this new one looks to go back to its original roots

FF series well there you have a legit point SE has messed up with FF series for a long time. Problem is we all complain about COD series yet look at how many FF games appear in the market whether they are on home consoles or portable ones. AND I KNOW SOMEONE WILL REPLY TO ME AND TELL ME HOW WRONG I AM AND WHY FF IS DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER IP THAT'S BEING MILKED

I think we are done with POP series for a while AC series is the new POP till it also dies a slow death of a release every year.

we all hate on COD one way or another but fact is each release sets a new record sales wise and all the DLC sells extremely well too so i doubt activision cares about the small number of haters because their install base earns them BILLIONS yes i said BILLIONS on yearly bases

FACE is if we like a series we consider it not being milked and if we are not into a series and it gets hyped we just turn on it. I have never bought a COD game NEW, i have played some after getting them used or rentals but not a big fan of FPS yet i respect the fact what COD means to gaming community

Nintendo has been releasing the same games for over 2 decades why do they get a free pass? mario,zelda,metroid,DK,animal crossing etc,,,,

MS gets a free pass even though they have 3 or 4 IP and they keep on releasing them fable,halo,gears and forza

sony also has done the same in some ways with GT,GOW,syphon filter,ratchet,sly etc,,,,

i am not trying to hate on any company fact is if something sells and your install base is willing to buy it again and again why would you change?

sony does take few risks in this gen like uncharted,heavy rain,mag etc,,,,

but end of the day we are gamers but they are in this business to make money and i am sure we all want new IP's yet FACT IS we buy MORE SEQUELS than NEW IPs

ICo
alan wake
metro 2033
sotc

some of the games that were above average yet their sales were not. If we as gaming community want only sequels than don't blame any company for making same games over and over its smart business with no risk

and that just my humble opinion

[WitWolfy]

I agree 100% with you, people are always uncertain about new IPs, remember when Dead Space first released it sold WAY below average, not that it was a bad game, but because it was a new IP. THEN BAM! Dead Space 2 was released and people were jumping left right and center to buy the First Dead Space seeing the potential the series really had all along.

Its always such a gamble for developers to make a new IP and hope it sells JUST as well to current IP they've been milking for years

[Ashby_JC]

Bubbles.

As a company. they have to take the course that makes money.

If stats show that a sequel will yield more money over a new IP. They will make the sequel. We would do the same if we were in there shoes.

Its the same with movies. sequels and remakes. Or rehashes of the same ideas with a different cast.

[boommuffin]

do you know what milking is? forza,gears & fable are release every 2-3 years & there not making a bunch of spinoffs. im not being a fanboy but the only thing MS does milk is Halo

[ghaleon1980]

@boommuffin: Oh, boy I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone mentioned Halo on N4G....

[deno]

These guys milk so much cows are going on strike. moooo!

[JellyJelly]

I really don't understand the hate for POP Forgotten Sands. Imo it's the best in the series along with Sands of time. Awesome game in my book.

Also, the latest Tomb Raider games have been of good quality (the XBLA/PSN title is amazing) and the upcoming game looks really good.

I don't view it as milking when the publisher keeps putting out great titles. To me it's when they constantly rush things out it that it becomes milking (see NFS).

[MilkMan]

1 and 2 are straight up correct.

Capcom NEEDS to be on this as number 3.

The rest I don't agree with.
Prince of Persia? No way! If anything Assassins Creed is creeping up there.

Tomb Raider was milked, BUT they stopped and refocused and it looks like they are headed in the right direction.

NFS was milked but the same applies here as well, EA did what Activision took forever to understand, stop putting out shit and take a hard look at what you are doing.
NFS is stronger than ever now.

Also, if there was no NFS we would have like zero arcade racers, FURTHER NARROWING our gaming variety.

[Quagmire]

I'd say. I was confused with Prince of Persia. So what, 5 games means the franchise is being milked? Thats like about 100 established franchises out there.

[_Aarix_]

Lol at your name milkman

[coryok]

i would think nintendo would be number 1, they havnt really been focusing on new ips for a long time, just reusing old ips that are already 20 years old.

sure cod is milked, but its nothing compared to the way nintendo milks their ips.

[AdvanceWarsSgt]

I'd write a list of new IPs, but something tells me you'll just say "they don't count" so why bother

[coryok]

so instead of posting new nintendo ips you tell me youre not going to tell me them? thats like a post explaining why your post was a waste of time.

just tell me the ips lol

[Sieg]

Dynasty Warriors
King of Fighters
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Monster Rancher
Dragon Quests
Pokemon

Umad? I can keep on going. Let's face it, milking is one way to make money and that's how the game publishers roll. Got a problem? Tell it them in term of money. I'm sure they'll consider it. /sarcasm.

[geniusgamerdoc]

Milking = More sequels to same old IPs

Comparing the current gen with the PS2 days there were definitely a wide variety of innovative games and gaming experiences in the past gen.

PS2 is the Best gaming console till date - Games made it great (Huge library).
We want new IPs like Heavy Rain and Mirrors edge.

[NuclearDuke]

Obviously no one wants Heavy Rain and Mirrors Edge since their sales were terrible and the games stopped production.

Heavy Rain is an advanced Sims, still terrible.
Mirror Edge looked promising, too bad it was developed for console.

[2pacalypsenow]

Games stopped production? Heavy rain just hit the 2 million sold mark how is that possible since they "stopped production" the developer Estimated 200k sales when it released
Alan wake barely sold over a million copies and yet its already got a sequel in development A game doesn't have to sell 10 million copies to be successful

[trikster40]

Heavy Rain is an advanced Sims??

Did you even PLAY Heavy Rain? It plays NOTHING like the Sims. I'm not saying you have to like it, but at least pick a game it plays like.

[CGI-Quality]

Selling 2 million (and exceeding expectations) is now "terrible"? I'd suggest you get in the know, you're unsure of what you're talking about.

[P_Bomb]

There was just an article here yesterday regarding Heavy Rain's strong performance and how it just hit 2 million. Heck, it's still winning awards a year after release http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/t... , so I'm not sure how it 'stopped production'.

[boommuffin]

i thought Dice said they were still interested in Mirrors Edge? You sir are afraid of inovation

[aman84r]

I can say EA is milking is NFS but i dont think it would any valid point.Just because i didnt like any of their NFS games after underground 2 (i have although finished all the games that came after those until shift 2)doesnt mean it was milked or bad after that.

[stonecold3]

yep i have to agree i noticed asc and the wwe games as well and i think halo also and street fighter 4 games

[Agent_hitman]

My list:

1. Activision = COD
2. Nintendo = Mario
3. CAPCOM = RE series
4. EA = NFS series
5. MS = HALO

[geniusgamerdoc]

CAPCOM = STREET FIGHTER and not Resident evil.!!

[jeeves86]

Are you kidding? Take a look at how many times Capcom has re-released Resident Evil 4. The NGC, the PS2, the PS3, PC (which was absolutely terrible) the Wii, iOS 'twice,' and that's just one game, each time getting progressively shittier.

[WesMcLaren]

Those are all publishers, this list is about developers. I would say that almost any game published by Capcom has been milked.

[Run_bare]

I actually looking forward to the new reboot Lara Croft adventure.

[aGameDeveloper]

Me too, though I have to point out she's been milked so much recently her boobs are smaller.

[boommuffin]

ROFL! BEST COMMENT EVER!!!!

[Run_bare]

hahahaha...

[sriki007]

there is always something different in terms of graphics and gameplay in the need for speed and prince of persia games.!!!!!

[DragonKnight]

Graphics are irrelevant.

[Ezio2048]

It should be EA for FIFA...

[2pacalypsenow]

Then you should add 2k and konami to that list /s ..... Thats not milking every year a new roster and features are added

[sriki007]

games like madden, fifa, pga, cod, nba etc are the most milked games!!!!! nobody seem to mention them!!!

[2pacalypsenow]

Sports games dont count the rosters are updated every year and new feature are added

[DragonKnight]

Sports games do count. Changing the roster means nothing. All it is is new people doing the same thing. If they add new features, that's different. But new rosters doesn't make it a new game.

[WitWolfy]

That reminds me when I was once browsing a preplayed games section, and the game that was the most popular for trade ins were FIFA XX titles. Cant see why people will trade in FIFA 09 for FIFA 10. Its still more or less the same game IMO

[Dojan123]

@2pacalypsenow = Rosters could be done with DLC.

[sasuke99]

-
4 Uncharted games in 5 years!
-Uncharted
-Uncharted 2
-Uncharted 3
-Uncharted: Golden Abyss
-plus a motion comic prequel to U2, Uncharted: Eye of Indra....

same awful character models with different clothes, same gameplay and same story formula...

YUCK!

[P_Bomb]

Bend (Resistance Retribution) is developing Golden Abyss, not Naughty Dog.

A motion comic? Dead Space alone has had a motion comic, an actual comic, a Trade Paperback, 4 games, DLC, action figures and 2 animated DVDs in less time than Uncharted.

[stvn_k26]

Sasuke99... you don't really wanna go there!!

Microsoft...

-Halo 3
-Halo wars
-Halo ODST
-Halo Reach
-Halo Anniversary
-Halo 4

Same stupid game...on one console.

[madpuppy]

Nintendo....That dead horse laying in the middle of it's developer studio should be nothing more than powder after 28 years of beatings.

[Ezio2048]

@sasuke99

do you know ANYTHING about Uncharted???
better LEARN before saying SH*T!!!!

[FlashXIII]

Tbh I'd say exactly the same back to you about your Fifa comment.

[FlashXIII]

I'm glad Final Fantasy is there. They've milked those games sooo bad releasing them on every single platform possible. Just wait until Vita hits, they'll probably re-release all of them all over again.

[ilovepsvita]

Hope SE doesn't re-release FFVII,VIII and IV,VI ports on the Vita as they did for Psp.That would suck.

They should make a Vita exclusive FF game that would utilise the touch screen and back panel in new ways.!!

[Ezio2048]

@FlashXIII
dude 1st of all, its "Vita" not "Viva"...
2nd...i said about FIFA only because its coming every year which defines milking.
is it wrong?

[Michael-Jackson]

Halo should be on that list. The 1st one was great but every Halo after that got worse with little improvement.

[RockmanII7]

I'd replace Tomb Raider with Sports games or Madden specifically, the roster updates could easily be dlc and there are very little new features added each year.

[SolDojo]

I only clicked on the article because it said "milking" and that chick has a great set of tatas...

[ilovepsvita]

Yup.. She is absolutely Sexy. Does anybody know her name ?

[Pikajew]

Ratchet & Clank 2002
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando 2003
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal 2004
Ratchet: Deadlocked 2005
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters 2007
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction 2007
Secret Agent Clank 2008 (only spin-off)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty 2008
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time 2009
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One 2011

And people say Mario is milked

[SuperStrokey1123]

http://www.mariowiki.com/Ga...

just look at that list and then tell me if Ratchet even comes close to Mario. Both are good games but lets be fair here.

[gumgum99]

indeed. There are more than 200 mario games in the past 25+ years. Still, they are well loved, so they keep coming. Same goes for many other popular gaming icons of the 80's and 90's.

[Devinchi33]

Wow, how many times are people gonna put a link to this list? Did you even read it? If you think all of these are mario games, then I guess

Tetris
NBA Street V3
SSX on Tour
Every Game and Watch game

are all "Mario Games"? I don't think so.

[SuperStrokey1123]

SO if mario isnt in the name it isnt a Mario game? Is Halo not a Halo game if the Mastercheif isnt in it?

[stvn_k26]

Halo:Combat Evolved
Halo 2
Halo 3
Halo Wars
Halo ODST
Halo Reach
Halo Anniversary
Halo 4

This game is heading to the same direction!!

[NeloAnjelo]

Ratchet doesn't count because it spans 10 years across three platforms. For "milking" to be relevant it needs to be in the same generation of consoles. How many COD games this generation on the same console? How many Halo games on the same console this gen, say in the last five years? Assassin's Creed?

Now that is milking.

[user858621]

all game series get milked... live with it

Call of duty
Resistance
Ratchet
Halo
GTA
Final Fantasy
God of War

[Ma1nframe]

nintendo LOL
there must be 2 or 300 "mario" games
talk about watered down LOL

[WesMcLaren]

270 to be exact!

[MARKUS_MAX1MUS]

Who was this website made by?

looks like it was designed with a potato

[Greyfoxdbz]

I'm Lactose intolerant

[trikster40]

How has no one mentioned Assassin's Creed?
Guitar Hero and other Hero games? (At least Activision stopped that for a while)

And Starcraft. 2 games in 14 years? Talk about milked... /S

[PandaJenkins]

Glad someone else realizes they are milking AC. I still think they are good enough and enjoyable, but Brotherhood was hardly an improvement over 2, and Revelations looks to be hardly changed too >_>. They are really not doing the wonders they could be with that franchise. Instead now it is milking the characters as long as they can with only tiny progression to the main story each game....

[Bolts]

I wouldn't mind milking the picture in this article.

[Raven_Nomad]

Bad list, where is Metal Gear, God Of War and Ratchet And Clank? Those are some of the most milked franchises in recent memory.

I get tired of people lumping COD into the same pile, I consider Modern Warfare to be different then the other COD's. The Modern Warfare games are on the same development cycle as Uncharted. We get the 3rd MW game this year, we get the 3rd Uncharted game this year. So which one is milked?

Ya, I know...what a logical thought on my part right?

bu..bu.....bu......but ...ya

[NnT3291]

how dare you talk logic on N4G

[bozebo]

GoW is nearly milked, but not quite. And MGS is remaining fresh and brilliant.

CoD is totally over-milked because it has just got worse since MW1. Worse guns, worse single player, worse 'feel', more bugs, worse maps, more overpriced DLC etc. W@W was decent though.

MW3 looks to be a bit of a refresher judging by some of the things the developers have been saying - but I won't hold my breath.

In any case, I still find CoD fun because there are so many noobs to kill in it - it's way easier than something like CS or Halo. CoD has plenty of idiots who don't understand that noob tubes and grenades are less effective than a precise bullet through the skull!

[P_Bomb]

COD is still COD, MW is no exception. All the games borrow eachother's engines, killstreaks, HUDs, sound, everything. The fact they had to hire a 2nd dev fulltime so they could have a new COD every November and justify a COD Elite paid service, speaks volumes of its milkage.

Metal Gear went 10 years without a new game btw.

[digitaledge]

I think the point of the article is not really which franchises have been milked (because Nintendo would win that one), but which have been milked to the point that they have ruined the whole thing - they become stale, boring.

In my opinion, Nintendo couldn't top that list, because almost with each release, they bring something new, and the games are almost always fun.

COD has become a stale franchise, Tomb Raider has become stale and has been 'rebooted' a couple of times. Final Fantasy has also become stale.

Assassin's Creed has been getting better with each release, so I don't think it should be classed as stale or boring.

Street Fighter is another milked franchise that has run out of ideas.

[maddfoxx]

No mention of Nintendo and Capcom?

[NYC_Gamer]

Mario has to be the most milked character

[digitaledge]

Maybe so, but the charachter hasn't been milked to the point where there is nothing more that can be done.

With each new Mario game, there are fresh ideas, and loads of fun to be had.

Many games (such as COD, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter etc) bring nothing new to each successive game, and become stale and boring, whereas Nintendo at least try to come up with new ideas for their characters.

[vid33nyc1]

Is this guy serious?what kind of list is this.Every first part Nintendo game should be up there along with dynasty warriors.And no mention of capcom.

[Ruu]

How could they forget Capcom. All the street fighter games or just fighting games in general.

[Flavor]

I'm on the east coast of the US and the ad that came up was blocked as a virus. Just letting you know.

[RyuCloudStrife]

Nintendo should be number 1 with Pokemon @ number 2 and Mario @ number 1...

Nice try haters.

[Jord911]

Mario hasn't been milked rly, unless u count classic remakes turned into ports for GBA and stuff milked. All that rly did was made the games go portable. Sure you see some crappy titles once in a while (like mario pinball), but I'd much rather see weird mario spin offs than some of the other terrible 3rd party games nintendo has on their consoles (ya, i'm talking about like 75% of wii games). Franchises like CoD have completely dropped any attempts at an engaging single player game, and rely on multiplayer to carry it (which means they have begun to care less and less about the story, and use the franchise name to sell the games. Nintendo uses the name Mario to a certain degree, but still continue to release pretty engaging games, with awesome gameplay that is constantly evolving (see Super Mario Galaxy and New SMB)

[Undeadwolfy]

Man, Need for Speed Underground 1 & 2 were 2 of the best, if not THE best Need for Speed games in the series.

[Jord911]

couldn't agree more, man oh man has CoD been milked. It doesn't help that a lot of mainstream shooters have become all about online, and less and less about story. We need more titles like Vanquish, Uncharted and Battlefield.

[Shojin1]

Dont get me wrong before I start, I love Halo, but this game is being milked to desert dry. The anniversary is music to my ears but if you love it and its the only game you play then I see why you would not grow tired of the ODST WARS and 3 all at the same time... along with knowing a 4,5,6 were coming... (dont forget your 9 lines of toy products beer mugs and pillows)

[kingPoS]

Everyone knows mario is Nintendo's favorite cow. What matters is what (variety of) cereal the milk used with. ^_^

[KendrickGLS]

EA! EA! EA! Screw Activision! Righteous!

[KendrickGLS]

EA, and Microsoft rules! Righteous!

[Seferoth75]

It's funny to listen to some of these fanboys and their double standards.....

Nintendo milks games because we had 2 DK on 20 years but 5 UNCharted games in 4 years with the exact same game play is innovation. It's jsut silly and really stupid. Of course MArio has been in a ton of games..

They were around for 10 years or more in gaming before any current hardware maker even entered the market. Of coure their franchises are going to have more games.

helll just look at the Ratchet and CLank example. Yet Sony fanboys claim each game innovates... YEs kids all MArio games are exactly the same. Galay,MArio KArt and NSMBWii are all the exact same game to the very same fanboys that think 10 titles in 9 years is okay as long as its a Sony IP, but 3 Mario games that are completely different in 7 years is just too much... I love some of the excuses too. Oh that game doesnt count cause it wasnt part of the main series... Yes MArio being the ref in Punch Out counts as a Mario game. Just completely ignorant but thats kids today.

[P_Bomb]

Uncharted THREE comes out in November. Three ain't five. Golden Abyss is a handheld that's still in development for 2012. Nintendo is the king of handheld Mario milkage. I should know, I've bought them.

GBA alone had something like 4 Super Mario Advances plus Mario Golf, Tennis, Dr, Kart, VS, an RPG (Superstar Saga) and Mario classic.

I don't think 'Sony fanboys' have it out for Mario either btw. LittleBigPlanet has more Mario levels and homages than anything else including a working GameBoy remake in LBP2. The respect is there.

[StitchJones]

More people buy Call of Duty then anything so the milking will continue until it stops. Which it won't at this point.

[mkcoolsubzero]

Okay guys I want you all to seriously consider this...How in the world would this be considered news??

A PERSON'S OPINION CANNOT BE LABELED AS NEWS. News it about new information, and the discussion of that information. Ughh, these articles are getting annoying and they need to stop being given the attention that they receive. Seriously.

[J86blum]

Capcom not on that list with..everything the touch.

[SuperStrokey1123]

Ok is it still milking if the games are good?

[bozebo]

I suppose if they move over to a different teat every so often then it isn't :P

/metaphor win

[tigertron]

Call of Duty.

[bozebo]

FF is an interesting one. They are almost all different games: unlike CoD, NFS, Tomb Raider & PoP which are mostly the same and often attempt to continue a story but do it badly.

Secondly, considering the number of games they remained fresh and exciting for a lot more titles than other milked franchises.

Today, they are being milked simply for the name that used to resemble good games - but I heard people saying the brand was milked even when FF8 was coming out: and that game was a masterpiece to nearly as much of a degree as the masterpieces before it - then FF10 was also amazing. I would also say that FF12 is a great game but in a different way (also the characters were mostly bad) - I liked the monster hunter ripoff parts :P People used to just say it was milked because they didn't play the games and classed the high sequel number as a reason to justify milkage.

If the next FF is not vastly better than FF13 - then yes, the franchise has been severely milked. Personally, I am expecting Versus to be bad because all the FF games have been bad since they lost a few key members of staff (those who set up Mistwalker and eventually made Lost Odyssey which I call FF13 because it could be called FF13 and would fit the job far better than the real FF13 - if you like FF and havn't played it then you MUST, even if you don't have a 360 - get one just for LO).

For now, I would replace Square Enix with Crapcom (monster hunter, resi, street fighter of which there are like 3 new ones every year or something, and loads more).

Nintendo almost make the list too - but they develop first party titles and they do very regularly have a refreshing twist for the new platforms at hand. They always make something that appeals to hardcore gamers or fans of the older games quite well - better than Crapcom do.

Also, Activision are not a developer anymore - at least not since they started destroying good developers' good franchises with severe over milkage.

Anyone else feel that WoW is also milked? Oh... but I blame Activision for that too :P

[Sc0pe92]

Ubisoft should be in there with assassins creed

[OC_MurphysLaw]

The moment this list failed was the moment I realized they left Nintendo and Mario off the list. And the fact that they chose Need for Speed from EA over Madden... ridiculous.

[Marugo]

guys.. as long as you buy these games, why not? carry on..

[Wikkid666]

A developer and publisher is not the same thing at all.

[AO1JMM]

Lactose intolerant bastards lolz

I accept the milking of anything Mario or Zelda. Great games everytime IMO.

[EdwardS087]

To the idiots implying Halo is 'milked': Give me ONE Halo title under the score of 80%. That franchise is one of the best FPS IP ever created and there isn't another exclusive FPS that comes close. Each Halo title released has seen critical success and has established legions of fans. If that is milking, then give me more. If that is milking, MGS, God of War, Uncharted and a slew of other titles are equally guilty. As gamers we should be thankful that these companies can provide title after title that deliver consistent quality. This bitching about milking is really the product of fanboys--hypocritical nonsense. Uncharted for example has had 4 titles release in 5 years--thats faster than the Halo franchise. Are they good games? Damn right they are, that's why they pump them out. So long as the quality is there, why complain? So fanboys, please skip this article as you can't utter a word without sounding like an idiot. Come to think of it, when are the times you can...

[P_Bomb]

Why can't people count when it comes to Uncharted? It keeps coming up in this thread.

1)Uncharted: 2007
2)Uncharted 2: 2009
3)Uncharted 3: 2011

That's 3 from 2007-2011. Golden Abyss isn't even a PS3 game and the Vita isn't even out in America or Europe 'til 2012 http://www.vg247.com/2011/0... .

1)Halo 3 (2007)
2)Halo 3 ODST (2009)
3)Halo Wars (2009)
4)Halo Reach (2010)
5)Halo Anniversary (2011)

There's even a Halo Waypoint app on XBLA. So I'm not sure why some people insist Uncharted is pumping out more console stuff than Halo this gen'.

[EdwardS087]

1) Halo CE (2001)
2) Halo 2 (2004)
3) Halo 3 (2007)
That's the first 3 titles in 7 years. Thats versus 3 uncharted titles in almost as many years.

Uncharted 1-3 in (07,09,11)....Doesn't matter what platform its on--we're talking games launched with the IP. So yes, 4 uncharted titles in 5 years. I'm not complaining--just countering the idiotic 'milking argument". Great franchises have many games...makes sense to me.

[Relientk77]

Nintendo/Mario should def be number 1 on the list,

how is Madden not on the list or Guitar Hero

CoD does not deserve the #1 spot that is easily Mario

[Trenta27]

Am I the only one that clicked on this solely for her boobs?

[DarkSymbiote]

List sucks. Square never milked Tomb Raider and FF isn't milked. Not yet at least.

[CoryHG]

I didn't read the whole thing b/c this guy's site is a joke and a mess, but I see Prince of Persia from ubisoft but no Assassins creed? Same game every year now since it's release?

[Rob946]

Wow what a shock COD is first. Honestly Final Fantasy is milked just as much. There's one new COD coming we are getting 3 new FF's from what I know, Versus, 13-2, Type 0 ( not sure if that's already out) FF games are great but people can't go on about COD been the worst when FF is just as bad.

[Dasteru]

Activision: CoD
EA: Madden:
Square enix: Final fantasy / Dragon Quest
Bungie: Halo
Nintendo: Everything

No particular order.

[The_Devil_Hunter]

Poorly written article...this person milks the hell out of the word "miserably"

[kingslayer1000]

halo is milked

[palaeomerus]

Metal Gear is milked.

[DARKrage34]

Whatt!

The Guitar Hero series should be up there... how many are there now 7?!

Way to go Activision.

[Edface]

What about Tony Hawk? Does anyone even buy his games any more?

[lionelglitchy]

thing is this whole milking thing should be viewed two ways.if devs are not making money they close down thats called business,so if a dev is just releasing the same ip's every year and banking the cash thats milking or taking the piss as we say in ireland here's looking at you infinity ward,bungie.but if a dev is bringing out the same ip's every year but investing those profits back into new ip's or taking a chance on trying something new well then they should be exempt from this list because when we buy one of their games we basically are investing in the future of gaming not lining some fatcats pocket

[Horny Melon]

5 companies I haven't bought a game from this generation.

[WhiteLightning]

Prnce of Persia 2008 wasn't that bad....I liked the selfish ending and even the DLC ended on a cliffhanger....yet still we wait.

But they ruined the Sands of Time trilogy by adding the Forgotten sands....it dosen't even look like him and the story was pointless. It was just to go along with the Moive coming out at the time.

[BlmThug]

Worst article ever. Tomb raider and PoP dont even deserve to be on that list and no Nintendo games. Mario and Pokemon easily milk more that anything ever

[GodKing1337]

Next person to talk dirt at cod will die very early in their life

[MaverickStar7]

Call of Duty needs to come of the list and replaced with Mario. The thing will all the franchises listed is they get less popular and less successful than previous games. The opposite is true with Call of Duty, it continues to become more popular and sell more. Until it slows down it hasn't been milked enough unless you just an anti-cod person.

[Jonah_Reese]

Oh great another Obligatory "milked" franchise article, incredibly pointless.

[Slapshot82]

Nintendo should own the #1 spot: Mario and Zelda are two of the most milked franchises there are!

[DAS692]

Should have been a longer list.... just sayin...

[Zanarkand]

Square hasn't milked anything lol what is this nonsense

[AdvanceWarsSgt]

lol wut

[Neurotoxin]

Nintendo have several Horses that they've cloned for the sole purpose of flogging repeatedly till death..... then flogged again just to be sure.

[joshpoppedyou]

you missed sonic and mario

you could have easily made this a top 10

[Gordo789]

Top 3 ways to generate heat on N4G

1) pointless lists
2) trolling fanboys
3) tits

[joshpoppedyou]

dont forget to put sony in that too, i cant remember the last time the top heat articles wasnt about sony in some form

[joshpoppedyou]

i dont agree with final fantasy though, yes the layout and format of the game is the same yet each game has a different storyline and character set

[OcularVision]

"The concept of milking game franchise to dryness cannot be discussed without the inclusion of the ever popular, multi-million selling Activision franchise, Call of Duty"

Saying that would mean that CoD sales were going down, but they're only selling more and more.

[Casepbx]

I can't believe Rock Band and Guitar Hero haven't been mentioned.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

Games are kind of like the movies now days in the fact that stuff coming out is just remakes/sequels or so close of concepts that it's not really different anymore...

There is a growing trend in games as movies with originality further more dwindeing...

But in all fairness there IS only so far you can go before it becomes the same if not similar...

Hell, music has even becoming bland generic crap...

[Hyperbomb69]

Where is Bungie and Halo???

[parasit3]

How pathetic.

[parasit3]

[Message Deleted by User]

[shooter747]

This is a trash article. All those who commented and obliged to agree are also all trash. This is not milking, this is simply BUSINESS.

[RAAMzilla]

Gotta admit, CoD was the first thing that popped into My head after reading the title.

[DanielRCampbell]

Hmmmm. I think there are developers/series that are FAR worse offenders, but none on this list are innocent.

[unicronic]

Street Fighter - nuff said.

[oldfriend86]

No Capcom?

[TheUndertaker85]

The number 1 milked title should've been...

1) Guitar Hero - Activision

Seriously... 21 different variations of the game in five years not including the fact that certain titles were also rebooted for mobile devices. Not to mention the fact that the game is "on hiatus" through 2011, so we can see another crap reboot coming in 2012. That by far is the definition of milking.

[zero_cool]

Their Money *Beep*!!!

[banner]

Why wouldn't you keep milking the cow if ppl keep coming back?

[zero_cool]

World of warcraft series,ratchet & clank series,madden series,mega man series,halo series ect... so lots of the publishers are milking the hell out popular game series there's a pattern trend going on here obviously!

P.S...Man oh man did nintendo ever nail it on the head when they said everything that's old is new again lol!

Cheers Gamers & Happy Gaming!

[gcolley]

developers or publishers????